DCLG has released the new Code of Guidance for Local Authority allocation of housing. There is a slightly unfinished page about it here and a press release here. The Code of Guidance itself is here [link to pdf].
We will come back to the Guidance in a proper post soon, but the stated principle is:
The guidance makes clear that first priority for housing must be given to those in greatest housing need. But it also encourages local authorities to make greater use of the existing freedoms and flexibilities to prioritise needs specific to their local area. It also encourages them to do more to involve and inform their communities when setting their local priorities so that local views are reflected in allocation policies.
By the way, since John Healy became housing minister, every single bloody press release begins “Housing Minister John Healey has today…”. This didn’t happen with Beckett, or even with Flint, and the relentless repetitive self-promotion, even claiming credit for decisions that far pre-dated his reign, is getting more than a little tiresome and perhaps somewhat counterproductive.